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Continued from above... in the thousands and did much to help win the war against
Hitler's Germany. The backbones of the American strategic bombing campaign in
Europe, the B-17 became a symbol of US airpower. B-17s served in all theaters of
the war and were renowned for their ruggedness and crew survivability.
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress was the first mass-produced, four-engine
heavy bomber. The B-17 was designed in 1934 and the first prototype flew on 28
July 1935. Only a few were produced before the U.S. entered World War II in
December 1941, but production quickly ramped up thereafter. The first use of the
B-17 was against Wilhelmshaven on 8 July 1941. The B-17 not only pounded enemy
strategic targets, but also carried out the destruction of enemy fighter
aircraft. Massed formations of B-17s downed hundreds of the fighters sent to
oppose them, causing the loss of enemy planes and irreplaceable pilots.
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Images above (approximately 80 rare and original photos) Boeing aircraft plant, Seattle, Washington. Also factory
employees at Boeing aircraft plant assembling the B-17 etc.
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The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress earned a reputation for toughness and
versatility as the design of the B-17 went through eight major changes during
its production history. The final version was the B-17G, designed to eliminate a
weakness in head-on attacks by adding a chin turret with two .50 cal. machine
guns under its nose. The B-17G was both new production and conversion of
existing planes, for a total of 8,680 built. |
